Compression tool



July 8,1947. w, F, WE DT 2,423,805

I COMPRESSION TOOL Filed June 24, 1944 Patented July 8, 1947 COMPRESSION OOL Walter F. Wendt, Chicago, Ill., assignor to-Mathias Klein & Sons, Chicago, Ill. a corporation of Illinois Application June 24, 1944, Serial No. 541,981

1 Claim. 1

My invention relates generally to hand tools for use in deforming connecting sleeves around wires to be connected thereby, and more particularly to a simplified tool of this type which may be used for connecting sleeves of different sizes.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved simple hand tool of the plier type which is constructed for the deformation of wire connecting sleeves and which may be used conveniently on sleeves of different sizes.

Other objects will appear from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a sid elevation of the tool;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view thereof, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, showing also a pair of wires joined by a connecting sleeve;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig, 2, showing the jaws in closed position; and

Fig, 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the jaws in open position.

It has become common practice to join the ends of wires, to secure both a mechanical joint and an electrical connection between them, by means of a tubular sleeve which is compressed around the wires. A sleeve ID of this type is shown in Fig. 2 as forming the joint between two wires II and I2. Th sleeve is usually made of copper, especially if the wires I l and I2 are copper conductors. These sleeves must frequently be attached to the conductors under adverse working conditions, as by a lineman working at the top of a telephone pole, and in many instances-the conductors and connecting sleeves on a given job are of two different sizes. It is therefore of considerable advantage to the lineman to have a single simple hand tool by which he may quickly and easily deform sleeves of either of two sizes.

The tool of my invention comprises a pair of similar jaw members l4, I6, and an intermediate jaw l8, all secured for free pivotal movement relative to each other by a shouldered rivet I 9. The jaw members l4, 16, are formed integrally with handles 20, 22, as in conventional pliers.

The jaws I4, [6 are relatively narrow and are suitably offset relative to their handles 20, 22, so as to be in alignment with each other and with the intermediate jaw l8. The jaw l4 and the adjacent face of the intermediate jaw l8 are provided with semi-cylindrical notches 23, 24, which are of sufficient size to compress and deform a relatively large size sleeve into and around the wires to be connected. Similar complemental small r notches 25, 26 are formed in the opposed faces of the jaws I6 and I8 for the compression and deformation of smaller size sleeves and conductors. The pairs of sleeve receiving notches 23, 24 and 25, 26 are substantially equally close to the pivotal axis so that the practical maximum mechanical advantage is obtained when the tool is used for compressing either the larger or smaller diameter sleeves and conductors.

The intermediate jaw l8 has a sector portion 28, the straight edges 29 and 30 of which engage complemental edges 3| and 32 of the jaws l4 and I6. Thus, when the handles 20, 22 are separated, the intermediate jaw I8 is centered with respect to the jaws l4, l6, as shown in Fig. 4, and the extent of separation of the handles is limited.

The tips of th jaws l4, [6, I8, are formed with sloping guiding edges to facilitate application of the tool to the sleeves.

In using the tool, the lineman applies the tool to the sleeve so that the latter, depending upon its size, rests in one of the notches 23, 24, or in one of the notche 25, 26, and, by applying gripping pressure to the handles, compresses the sleeve and the conductors until the cooperating faces of the jaws are brought into engagement, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The sleeve [0 will thereby be annularly deformed or necked and compressed into a complemental annular groove which will be formed in the conductor ll, l2. Due to the ductility of the sleeve and the conductor, both of which are usually made of copper, they will maintain their deformed shapes and a firm mechanical bond and good electrical conmotion will be assured. In some instances, the lineman may compress the sleeve more than once around each of the conductors, but practical experience has shown that a, reliable joint is obtained with a singl compression of the sleeve into each conductor.

Since the three jaws are separated from each other by moving the handles 20, 22 apart, the lineman can conveniently use the tool with one hand. Because the notches 23, 24 and 25, '26 are the use of substantially the same or equivalent means.

I claim:

A hand tool for the deformation of wire connecting sleeves of difierent sizes comprising, a pair of integral primary jaws and. handles of the p-lier type, a pivot member therefor, and an intermediate jaw pivoted on said member and positioned between said primary jaws, said intermediate and primary jaws having notched cooperating faces for the deformation of wire conneeting. sleeves of difierent sizes, said intermediate jaw having a portion providing two abutment surfaces and said primary jaws having portions respectively engageable with said surfaces to cause said intermediate jaw to be positioned 4 substantially centrally between said primary jaws when the latter are fully separated.

WALTER F. WENDT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,031,738 Sheldon July 9, 1912 1,084,935 Flora et a1. Jan. 20, 1914 1,955,695 Veling Apr. 17, 1934 15 1,171,221 Marion Feb. 8, 1916 232,428 Whiting Sept. 21, 1880 

